The Ravens are coming off a bad loss to Cleveland. It wasn’t bad in the sense that they lost to a bad team in a game they had no business losing, but it was bad in they way it played out. Yes, they were without Lamar Jackson, but they ran for about 200 yards (more on that later), held the opponent to 13 points, and moved the ball fairly well most of the game.
However, this team continues to be an extremely mistake-prone team. Whether it’s untimely turnovers, missed tackles, bad penalties, or just mental errors, the Ravens just can’t get out of their own way. This is a 9-5 football team and I have less confidence in them than I do the 6-8 Jaguars.
What is the issue? Why does this keep happening and what needs to be done about it?
First of all, not having Lamar is obviously an issue. Those who thought Tyler Huntley was an actual starting QB in this league were fooling themselves. Yes, he is a capable backup, but he’s nothing more than that. I was hoping for a split without Lamar (and don’t be surprised if he’s out against Atlanta) and we got it, so I am “happy” about that…but still, how Saturday’s game went down leaves a sour taste in my mouth.
But the issues of this team run very deep.
Some of it is scheme, some is philosophy, and some of it is just plain old stupidity.
Let’s go back to the running game. JK Dobbins, who has yet to carry the ball more than 15 times in any game of his career, was going through the Browns like a hot knife through butter. Gus Edwards was running over people and gashing them with great cut backs. Those two carried the ball 22 times total, in a game that was close throughout. They ran it a combined ONE time in the fourth quarter. How in the hell does a team that puts most of their offensive resources into the running game, have that much success, and not go to it time after time, especially with a backup QB with an arm as good as Johnny Damon.
I don’t get it. That goes against the archaic philosophy the team has. It’s what they want to do and yet they don’t do it when they need it and when it is working as good as they could ever hope.
Where is the logic there? How is this not being discussed and changed during the game? Huntley threw it THIRTY TIMES and there were a few other plays that were designed passes where he ended up scrambling.
How is that the game plan? I get some of those throws are towards the end when they were down, but most weren’t and quite frankly, they had a better chance of coming back running it than they did throwing it.
I know we all want to see an explosive passing game. I have been saying for the last year that the team needs it to win and that not having it will be what holds them back. That said, in a game like Saturday, where it’s freezing cold, you have a backup QB and your run game is completely shredding the other team, you need to run it 40+ times.
Also, you need to give the ball to your best guys when you do it.
The Ravens had a 4th and 1 call on their very first possession, in the red zone. They chose to go for it rather than kicking the short field goal. I was good with that…but why in the hell did you give it to Pat Ricard? Ricard is great in situations like that when you need inches. I would rather give it to him on a 4th and inches than see a sneak with Lamar, but when you need a full yard, Ricard isn’t that guy.
You have Gus back there, who has converted almost every 3rd or 4th and 1 of his career, and yet you give it to Ricard. Why? Why are you trying to be cute? Why are you trying to make it more complicated?
You want to know why they don’t score in the red zone? It’s easy. Because they overthink things. They were running the ball down the Browns’ throat the other day, so their solution was to put the ball in the hands of the players who weren’t leading them on the field. They put it in the hands of the players that aren’t as good and that hurt them.
The Ravens went into Saturday with two good things on offense: a dominant offensive line and a running game….and they went away from the running game and turned the o-line into a pass blocking line for a QB who can’t throw it and with WR who can’t get open or catch it. That was the game plan. That was the decision this staff made. That was the halftime adjustment they decided on. That’s just stupid. There is no other word to describe it (unless you want to use harsher synonym).
I know the Ravens aren’t going to make a change at offensive coordinator this week…but they should.
As I have said time and time again, Greg Roman needs to go, but this isn’t just a Roman issue. That said, he is the easiest to replace right now and maybe it causes a mental rejuvenation for the players. Maybe a new play-caller will dial up some better passing plays and keep the wideouts more engaged. Maybe he’ll use some tempo. Maybe when they know they are going to go for it on 4th down, they’ll run it on third down and see if they pick it up?
In other words, maybe they use their brains better?
And maybe nothing will change at all, but here is what I know (or what I hope I know): Roman won’t be back next year, so getting rid of him now hurts nothing. He isn’t a solution to the problem, even if he isn’t the main problem.
The bigger question is, what happens long term? At this point, it’s unlikely the Ravens win the division. Even if Cincinnati loses to either Buffalo or New England (I doubt they lose both), I highly doubt the Ravens are going into Cinci and winning that game. The Ravens will play in the first round against either Tennessee or Jacksonville. They will probably play the 4:30 Saturday afternoon game, as that is usually slotted for the teams no one wants to see play. Maybe they win that game but that’s as far as they’ll go.
So, you will be coming off what is likely something in the area of a 11-6 season with MAYBE 1 playoff win. That’s a good season. It’s not a great season but it is a good season.
But with the schedule they had, I think that goes down as a disappointing season.
The Ravens need to ask themselves, who they want to be. They say they want to win a Super Bowl, yet they aren’t willing to do what it takes to do that in today’s game.
Will Steve Bisciotti make them change? Would he fire Eric DeCosta and/or John Harbaugh?
Will they decide to trade Lamar Jackson? If they franchise him, will he play? (There have been rumors he may be OK with the Kirk Cousins formula.)
Do the Ravens just need to start over? I don’t think it’s crazy to wonder that and I can’t say I would be against it.
I know a lot of fans are happy with a 9-12 win team that has a chance every year. I’m not. I don’t need or want participation trophies. I need to see true advancement in the playoffs. I want a team that actually has a shot at winning. Only one team wins, so “Super Bowl or Bust” isn’t my mantra. I do consider winning games in the playoffs every year true success though, and just being able to beat your identical twin (Tennessee) isn’t good enough for me.
There are a lot of questions to be answered and maybe miracles will happen in January but right now, we are in for another disappointment and then they enter an extremely critical offseason that could determine the fate of the franchise for years to come.
How they handle that will be fascinating to watch.
4 Responses
the running game was working so well through 3 quarters that we notched a total of 3 whole points to that point……it`s not hard to understand why roman thought he had to try something different….
and let`s add this…on your first possession you should NEVER …I MEAN NEVER not take sure points after a long drive ..there was no reason not to pocket those points on the road in a bad weather game…in ANY game….there was no “situation”…..we threw yet another possession down a rathole because of harbaugh`s penchant for throwing away sure points…..
lamar needs to get his knee wrapped up and get on the field….if the knee is still sore,dont run…..show everybody you can pass the ball effectively without running the ball…we already have two backs who when they are healthy simultaneously,are extremely effective…
we need our best passer out there,,show you`re worth a big contract…we need our best option on the field throwing the ball to keep defenses honest…play smart…don`t be afraid to throw it away when necessary…
of course,this is all contingent on the ACTUAL severity of lamar`s knee…if theres no actual significant structural damage,we need someone who can keep defenses honest throwing the ball…it`s crunch time…..
one last thing…why don`t we have a pure passer on the roster?….is it that much extra work to install a real nfl passing game just in case this happens again next year?….extra work for the coaches?…tough duck……as long as we`re wedded to this rpo offense exclusively,we`ll never have a formidable passing game…we`re 5 years in and 1-3 in the playoffs during that time…..why not have a back-up who can actually throw a 15 yard pass fairly consistently?…….throw slants…throw down the middle of the field…we`re so wedded to this rpo that i feel we`re wasting gus and dobbins…think of how effective they could be with a legit passing game keeping defenses honest…
we have a league mvp qb and he can`t paly unless he can run 100% effectively?…..what about throwing the ball(he is a quarterback,no?)
I think this comment makes more sense than the article. IMHO, Lamar is an extremely gifted athlete but he is a running qb and they just don’t have durability. He throws side-armed like he did in college, and because he is so gifted with his legs, they have let him get away with it. He doesn’t have the intelligence or skill set of Patrick Mahomes, who runs too, but is also an eerily good field reader in the mold of Tom Brady. Jackson will forever be hurt. He doesn’t slide when he stops running, he takes crazy chances because he knows he can escape the pocket that way. I will be pilloried for this, but I don’t see him as our future. We need a complete team, with a qb who can really see the field and throw the ball and WR’s who can catch. We already have great backs and tight ends. A good defense too. But we aren’t a complete team. Not yet.
First of all, even when 100% healthy, Lamar is not a pure pocket passer! PERIOD! His skill sets are that of an RPO QB, which is why defenses want to contain him in the pocket where he’s less effective! Then, there are the injury issues! First the hip, then the quad and now the knee, so he’s far from 100% healthy! What makes you think he wants to risk further injuries while his negations are in limbo? And, neither Dobbins nor Edwards are 100% healthy, so maybe that figured in how they were used as the game progressed! We just don’t know what we don’t know, but there are obviously a number of dynamics in play here! Based on his performance in college, I believe he’s a more capable pocket passer than he’s getting credit for, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Harbaugh wants him to just “manage” the game and be a check down QB rather than play the position to his capabilities! These problems on offense have persisted since Lamar’s outstanding 2019 regular season as defenses figured him out and we’ve had no answers! And, finally, the insane poor game day decisions and clock management problems have been staples of Harbaugh’s offense for 14 years, so don’t expect them to change either, i.,e., delay of game following a time out!!! No amount of talent will ever be able to overcome………POOR COACHING!
I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings but this is not superbowl contending team. I believe in the talent but it lacks maturity. That lack of maturity really gets in the way of success with bad penalties and bonehead play execution. I think calling for Roman to be fired is not the right answer. To me the issue was and always has been that the offense overthinks everything. Example: if the running game is working keep pounding it until they stop it, then change it up.